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There are two brands of metal clay available today; Precious Metal Clay and Art Clay Silver. There are a lot of similarities between the two, and some differences. My experience is with Precious Metal Clay (PMC), so the techniques and methods that I write about will be from this vantage point.... (2004) Complete Story
Casting is one way to move into production, but you can also take your first steps into multiples without mastering the intricacies of molten metal. PMC's moldable qualities make it well suited for short-run production. In producing multiples in PMC, you'll use the same techniques used to transfer textures or to produce PMC components for one-of-a-kind bracelets. If you can create a single piece by pressing PMC into a mold, you can do it dozens of times..... (2004) Complete Story
Metal clay has not yet proven to be an effective substitute for casting: sterling silver is often preferred over fine silver for its relative strength, and the higher cost of metal clay compared to cast silver generally makes it unappealing for large volume production. But some craft artists have begun bridging the gap between one-of-a-kind and volume production by using metal clay to create production models and turning to traditional casting techniques for their reproduction..... (2004) Complete Story
It is easy to forget that when we remove PMC from the kiln, what we have is a piece of metal and we can bring to bear on that piece any and all of the myriad techniques employed in regular metalworking.
With our standard PMC tools and not much more than an additional file, hammer, and a drill, we can incorporate other materials into our PMC and our PMC into other materials. I am using for this project Faux one, a PVC product that is easy to use, extraordinarily durable, inexpensive, and safe. It can be hammered, filed, sanded, polished, heated, molded, drilled, and carved. The PMC can be pushed around or into it and it is so tough you can hammer on it, which I do in the project presented here.... (2006) Complete Story
In 1996, Rio Grande in Albuquerque, New Mexico, introduced artists and jewelers in the United States to Precious Metal Clay - PMC from Mitsubishi Materials Corp. in Tokyo. The material, a mixture of fine-grained metal powder with an organic binder, could be worked like clay, but became a solid piece of metal when kiln-fired.... (2003) Complete Story
